Gratitude in a Divided Culture

Introduction

Image

Whether we like it or not division between opposing groups are a reality of our world. Yankees or Red Sox? Modern or Pepe’s? Left Twix Candy or Right Twix? Iron Man or Captain America?

In through recent years, months, even days this division has dominated our news wherever we find it. CNN or Fox News? Biden or Trump? Who’s the greater evil, Antifa or Facism? Radical Left or Radical Right? Black Lives Matter or Blue Lives Matter? Masks or No Masks?

We have woken up to a reality that polarized Us vs Them. The culture we live in has a division that has been thrust into the spotlight and no matter how you approach this conversation there is division. The election that just happened revealed the numbers in percent showing nearly a 50/50 split. We could decide to get alarmed depending upon the side you align with but what this shows is that we as a Church, as believers, cannot ignore division or the other side because if you do you ignore 50 % of our USA. As people who are called to all people to share the gospel we cannot do this and I’m thankful to BE Free and the way Pastor Steve has led us to say we want to welcome both sides of the conversation to worship our Lord Jesus.

Last week, we started our November theme of Gratitude. We live in a world that is divided and there is a need for us to learn how to operate in the midst of this division.

Our temptation is to only find likeminded and try to hide but the election of 50/50 shows that first off you cannot isolate truly from the ‘other’ and as believers nor should we.

Need

We can easily get swept away in what feels like an emotional Tsunami of anxiety, fear, anger, and lashing out at whatever is the threat. Or maybe it feels like a Riptide, something that grabs you and drags you out, you are dragged away into places of anxiety, depression, of watching loved ones on social media act in a flabbergasting way, to feel like you are just struggling to understand.

Subject

The Apostle Paul had a similar disaster. In our reading today of Phil 4:1-9 it starts with a circumstance of a division. Two of his companions in arms, Euodia and Syntyche two woman who are leaders and in good standing in the church of Philippians are in conflict. Division is here and while the hope is for reconciliation between the two woman leaders he doesn’t demand it but requests it. In it he also shows us something bigger than just trying to ‘fix’ the problems but how do we as believers and a community live out our faith in the midst of a divided world?

Our Scripture is found in Philippians 4:1-9.

We shall read to the end of the passage and see what God has to speak to us about in the midst of division. Phil 4:1-9

4 Therefore, my beloved brethren whom I long to see, my joy and crown, in this way stand firm in the Lord, my beloved.

2 I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to live in harmony in the Lord. 3 Indeed, true companion, I ask you also to help these women who have shared my struggle in the cause of the gospel, together with Clement also and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.

4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! 5 Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. 9 The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

There is division everywhere as we mentioned, in our politics, social media, news, country, even homes, and sadly the church is no exception to this temptation of division. Paul in the first few verses address the fact there is conflict and urges for reconciliation through unity found in God not as a superior to others but as equals.

Today though I won’t be focusing upon solving division in our culture to figure out the Us vs Them or even the lost observer. Instead realizing that we as believer; even in midst of chaos and suffering, can be people of gratitude to change from a lack of peace and joy to people who create lasting peace both ourselves and community around us to focus upon a

Preview

Right Attitude

Right Action

Right Thinking

Right living.

Returning to Paul, Paul is facing potential division in the church in Philippi, he also faces it in believers in Rome, and on top of that he faces his possible death at Roman hands. If we feel like we lack Peace in our circumstances Paul definitely has the right to claim that lack of peace.

He though starts with a not so comforting place.

The Right Attitude in the middle of struggle is to rejoice.

4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!

My gut instinct really is to sigh in frustration.

Paul is lacking peace in his situation and has much reason for being frustrated, anxious, and annoyed at how it feels like people are acting like infants and he says “Rejoice”

It reminds me where a woman is feeling anxious about the fact she has to go into an enclosed space and feels claustrophobic. The therapist promises a 2-minute solution to all her issues, anytime she is about to be anxious he just says “Stop it”, feeling anxious about enclose space- stop it, feeling sad, Stop it, worried about marriage -Stop it. Whether it’s this verse or the phrase coming up in v.6 “6 Be anxious for nothing” our gut instinct solution is just to say and read these verses as “Stop it!”

But Paul doesn’t have cookie cutter solution or a “stop it” mentality in mind when he is talking. Last week Pastor Steve spoke how we can be thankful in all circumstances and this isn’t about plastering a smile on your face or shouting Stop it but rather where do we find our Joy and our Gratitude.

“Rejoice in the Lord” Means that our joy is found in the Lord, its not matter of circumstances, Paul has many circumstances for his joy to be stolen but he says to find it in the Lord.

When we realize we lack peace the place is not to look for our solution in a change of circumstances, or pluck up our attitude, or just say “stop it” our solution is that we find our joy in Christ being Lord of our life.

In Psalms 37:4 it calls us to be people who delight in the Lord, in Ps 94:19 it says “when the cares of my heart are many, your words cheer my soul” whatever thought or lack of peace we face we can find joy in the Lord.

Happiness depends on circumstances, Joy does not. Joy recognizes the current situation, that God is in control in the midst of division in the midst of lack of peace.

Joy recognizes that those who belong to Christ, raised in union with him, have the promise of resurrection, and by when peace is lacking, joy is refocusing.

That refocus needs to be upon the Lord.

The Right Attitude we begins with here is the joyful people who rejoice in the promises of Christ in the past, our union with Him today, and the promises of future. The right attitude moves our perspective away from challenges of our homes, divisions of our country, and the pain of today upon the Lord our God, Jesus.

The second Right attitude of gentleness.

“5 Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near.”

An element of division and dividing people is that you are not gentle to your ‘enemy’. To be gentle means that you are kind, courteous, and not insisting on every right of the letter of the law but rather you are yielding your privilege.

Unfortunately, in our news cycle whether its CNN or Fox they are not gentle to the other. We live in a world driven to divide us because division creates a kind of group loyalty and group loyalty sells, inspires, and unites people but the cost is it unites people around division. The church in Philippi is not a stranger to division. We were talking about the two woman early on in v.1-3 but the city of Philippi is considered a proud Roman Culture.

The people of this city are extremely proud to be Roman, many high ranking military and government officials find their home here, retired soldiers, and patriotic nationalism, and the worship of Roman Gods is prevalent everywhere.

The Christian church faced massive persecution here because whatever division the Roman people had towards one another they could be united by hating Christians. To the Romans Christians were rebels, terrorist, because they are trying to disrupt the way of Roman life which is most certainly not Christian. The act of gentleness is the last thing on the Roman mind towards Christians.

Yet Paul calls them too gentleness. “Let your gentle spirit be known to all people”

Gentleness is beyond the letter of the law, the letter of the law says to treat others like we have been treated, gentle with gentle, violence with violence. If my rights are taken, if my privilege is threatened, if my way of life is threatened through division, I will strike back. Gentleness is not that.

In 1955 a brave black woman named Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a white person. This started in Montgomery, Alabama the bus boycott. Martin Luther King Jr. joined in this boycott and lead a peaceful protest against white supremacy. On Jan 27th he received a phone call while at home with his wife and 7-month baby the voice on the other end said

“We are tired of your mess, and if you aren’t out of this town in 3 days we will blow up your house and kill you”

MLK Jr was rattled by this but his conviction for the cause and his trust in God prompted him to continue.

On Jan 30th, 3 days later, a man comes racing into a church where MLK is having a meeting around this Bus Boycott. The man shouts “Martin, somebody just threw a bomb at your house.”

MLK raced home, anxious about his wife and 7-month old daughter who he knew were in the house. When he arrived the front of his house was gone as a smoldering wreck. Thanks be to God his wife and daughter were in the back of the house so they remained uninjured.

But a mob, a mob of angry people had spread themselves all over the lawn. Many of them armed and they looked to Martin Luther King Jr and they were ready for revenge. His response to this angry crowd is this

“If you have weapons, take them home. If you do not have them, please do not seek them. We cannot solve this problem with violence we must violence with non-violence. Love your enemies. Bless them that curse. Pray for them that spiteful use you. Remember this movement cannot be stopped because God is with it”

The crowd never rioted and people went home. MLK Jr he understood something that violence, anger, hatred, and the methods of division are tools of the world.

The Strength of Gentleness is not violence, it is not even acting like MLK Jr it is acting like Jesus.

The news cycles have filled our eyes with cities burning, armed men in Michigan, riots, tear gas, violence, and with anger showing its way. These are the weapons and tools of the world.

They are not the weapons and tools of believers, we should condemn violence whether against people or property but when people look at the church, when people look at BE Free we should be “See how these Christians love one another.” Mutual love is fresh water to a world that is starving. Gentleness on one hand puts up with peoples faults and does not provoke for revenge and on the other hand continues to show an attitude of love.

A spirit of hostility and bitterness in a church is not a relief to a world who is already divided, hostile, and bitter. To help reunite our world towards Christ we need to be a church united in our differences as people who are gentle.

Arguing looks tiny when we compare it to the fact that Jesus will return and he called us to be a people who are gentle like he was gentle.

But we can still feel anxious and there can be this feeling of discontent so just a right attitude is not enough.

The Right attitude for a believer is Joy and Gentleness which moves us to Right Action.

Paul continues with

“6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

Be Anxious for nothing. This is not the the 2-minute therapist who just says when you are anxious about the division of the world you should “stop it” that’s not the point.

Paul is speaking about anxiety that is wrapped in worry. The warning against is the type that unhinges, paralyzes, and incapacitates us.

Anxiety has many root causes placed upon things like isolation in feeling disconnect so we turn inward with fear and self-disgust.

Anxiety can also be tells us a threat is present, the challenge is this threat may not itself be real. A study by Earl Nightingale wrote that the only 8% of our worries are actually legitimate and 92 % of the things we concern ourselves with never actually happen.

92 % of the things that take up our anxiety never actually occur!

Paul is telling us to rather to realign our perspective of where do we find relief.

We are to not worry about anything is that we are to pray about everything.

Prayer is absolute submission and dependence upon God because it removes the source of our relief, for some of us it anxiety where we find our relief; a false relief, but still relief, and moves it to God through prayer.

Worry accomplishes nothing, prayer does.

Paul is saying Prayer and supplications, or requests, to God but WITH THANKSGIVING

Thanksgiving, it’s with power to say every event, prosperity or suffering alike is coming to a place of thanks. Thanksgiving is placing our dependence on God by placing our intimacy with God. Anxiety for some of us pulls down to we are afraid to trust, we are afraid to be intimate and allow others to place.

Gratitude says “I’m dependent on you” and that can be frightening, especially when we show gratitude to someone and it isn’t returned.

A thankful spirit crowds out things like selfish pride, it checks fear, it defuses anger, and directs our thoughts outwards to God and others.

When we lack peace we are to pair it with Gratitude.

We think the opposite of gratitude is being ungrateful but rather its selfishness. It’s believing that either we do not need to be grateful for what we have or that we decide God only cares about the ‘Big things’ not the little things. Its an attitude of pride and selfishness.

We like to put things through a Big/Little request system. We ask God for the Big stuff and wonder about the little stuff but what’s too big for God? When we say big stuff, can we really think that it is to big for God? Job loss, marriage strife, failed tests, angry cultures, divided people, are these too big for God?

No! Absolutely nothing is to big for God because than God wouldn’t be God. So in that perspective how can anything be too little for God

Instead Big or Little, we are “let our request be made know to God”

Right Action is that we Pray with Thanksgiving and honesty not defined by big or little but all things.

Gratitude is not feeling grateful but being a grateful person in all places to God with thanksgiving.

As we grow in learning to focus on prayers in thanksgiving it results in v.7

7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

This peace of God comes from prayer of involving God for our needs and thanking him for his provision. This phrase only appears in the NT and it reflects God’s divine character that is apart from all things of worry and anxiety.

The peace of God is knowing that we are reconciled with God through Christ Jesus sacrifice on the cross, that our salvation is based upon Jesus’ grace not our own, and that when we recognize the actions of God we can enjoy God.

Paul uses this word of “guard” it’s a military term for a reason, when we place our perspective of prayer on God through thanks we move our view off of ourselves. Peace acts like a group of soldiers guarding our thought patterns and our emotional security is placed in Him.

A lot of the time we place our peace security not in prayer or in God but we let something else guard our peace.

What is truly guarding our peace?

Who happens to be President? Who is attacking our enemy? Our social media affirmations? Our friends? Our grades? Our job security? Our lack of marriage strife? Our intellect? Our news? Our arrogance of knowing some secret information?

Our 50/50 election has revealed something in USA, that for election time one side of the population is celebrating and the other is anxious and worried trusting in who is President to guard our hearts and minds.

When these circumstances are threatened, we find how quickly these didn’t guard our hearts or our minds at all because they were never meant to be.

Rather we are called to right thinking through Peace. It is divine peace not based upon whether an external thing is met but a characteristic of God so it is to be our characteristics as the church.

Divine peace not based upon an external thing is met but a characteristic of God who is Peace, so it is to be our characteristic as the church and as believers.

Peace is beyond knowledge; peace meets the needs of the heart.

A lot of the reason we aren’t at peace is because we focus our entire week of thoughts upon worldly conflict, temptations, and circumstances.

The Right Thoughts focuses our mind on the proper places to be people of gratitude

8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things

We learn to do Right Thinking by focusing our mind on the proper qualities.

What we have here is the briefest biography of Jesus ever written. Jesus fits all of these qualities perfectly. Right thinking involves right focus upon each of these words which can be summarized to focus upon the excellent and praiseworthy

Jesus would not focus on the places that divide our cultures but be the agent of unity that focuses upon these qualities. We are not to be driven by anxiety or false guards of peace but driven to think rightly upon things that are Excellent and praiseworthy. Each of these words can be summarized to focus upon the excellent and praiseworthy.

Nothing in our world; not a President, not science, not emotional health, not counselling, not news, not anything on the world truly fits all of these qualities except Jesus. By focusing our minds upon Christ.

We have a lot of information constantly coming at us, we have a deep need to filter our thoughts and focus our thoughts.

Our need for disciplined habits becomes priority. The power of gratitude is that when we focus on the qualities of thankfulness with every aspect of life even our enemy ‘other’ and place our dependence upon God we can grow in our peace with God.

A disciplined believer focuses on proper thoughts and good living both inside and outside the church.

When anxiety appear, the solution is prayer.

When chaos of life appears, the solution is mental and practical discipline

9 The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

Paul taught the Church of Philippi the ways of the gospel and to offer ourselves as pleasing sacrifices to God. Every Christians should live in a state of being an example for all who observe you.

Paul modeled for them in his own life and provided a living example. He didn’t try to separate an inward attitude and outward action.

Right living is a necessary condition of peace with God which can be modeled to others.

Gratitude is a practice behavior, so we have to find ways to practice it. Living a life of gratitude isn’t easy. Like any spiritual discipline it requires time, effort, and faithful practice. We should be motivated to follow gratitude as through our prayers and outward thinking so that we can in turn model and preform acts of kindness to others. We can learn through the Word.

Our world is badly divided, it is hurting all over. What we need in the face of a divided culture is a united Church that focuses upon the

Right Attitudes of rejoicing and gentleness,

Right Action of Praying and asking with Thankfulness in all places,

Right Thinking of focusing and acting as Christ acted

And Finally, Right Living – as people who are take effort and time to live in a way that models our life to others that says “look how we love each other”

Right praying, right thinking, and right living are all places to begin placing a secure mind and victory over worry.

James 1:22 says that we are to be doers of the Word, not only hearers

Another way to say this is and Obey

To Listen to God, by letting his Word speak to us, is it our attitude, actions, thinking, or living where God is speaking today.

Where do you need to Listen to God today?

Once you realize there is a place that God is asking you to Listen, we must Do. We must be people who Obey.

Listen to God in where he reveals and Obey God by being people of gratitude in all circumstances, in all places, and be a people who brings unity to a world that only sees division.